


Briar Rose

by goldendoodle



Category: Princess Tutu
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Amnesia, F/M, Flashbacks, Gen, Magic, Sleeping Beauty inspired AU, True Love's Kiss
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-08
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2019-07-28 01:08:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16231043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldendoodle/pseuds/goldendoodle
Summary: "Long ago a man who should have died stole away the kingdom's hope," Freya says, distant bemusement in her eyes as she recalls the words, "And where there is no hope, man turns to beast and ravens fly free, and flowers no longer grow." She smiles, her gaze floating back in their direction, settling on Ahiru. "Princess Tutu, the bringer of hope, saves us from destruction in exchange for her own heart and will." Inexplicably, Ahiru begins to tremble. Freya's voice is soft but as she speaks the rest of the world seems to fade away around them. "Princess Tutu is always reborn to save us. This is the way we have survived, thanks to her, each and every one-hundred years."





	1. Chapter I: The Present

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UPDATE: This update is simply to redo some formatting I changed my mind on. If you had already read Chapter 1 prior to this update, there is not much new content for you. I just decided to clean it up a little bit and change the formatting so that the present and past storylines are easier to differentiate, breaking them up into separate chapters. However, I plan on uploading both halves of Chapter 2 sometime this upcoming week. Please look forward to it.

In the very center of the quietest wood in the kingdom, there’s a raised white pedestal where a girl lies sleeping. Her auburn hair spills over the edges of it, shimmering in the sun. Nature seems to have taken over the space once again, vines and flowering bushes creeping up towards her. However, it doesn’t appear that she’s an intruder. Instead, the tendrils seem to cradle her. Pink blossoms erupt from tall plants on either side of the altar to caress her face and petals drift down from branches to rest in her hair. The birds of the wood gather in the clearing, their chirps and songs a lullaby for the girl’s endless slumber.

The exact location of this grove is hard to find.

A newcomer enters the clearing and the flock startles. Feathers join petals as they drift down from the sky. The girl remains asleep.

 

...

 

Ahiru feels a gentle pressure on her cheek. She tries to blink awake but is assaulted by a bright white light. She yelps and sits up, covering her eyes. As her vision adjusts, she opens her eyes and takes in the scene surrounding her. She’s in a clearing full of flowers. The dewy blossoms of many different breeds of flower glisten like gems in the mid-morning light. She looks up and winces. Ah, so her sudden blindness was due to looking directly up into the sun above her. She focuses on the trees and sees birds blinking down at her from the branches. They seem frightened. Glancing to her left, she sees a young man she has never met kneeling besides her, looking surprised. 

She yelps, twists around, and aims a kick towards the man’s chest. He grunts as she slips backwards off the altar, landing on her rump.

“Who are you!?” she shouts, “Where am I?”

Slowly, the young man’s brow furrows. She can practically hear the cogs turn in his head.

They stare at each other for some time. His face eventually softens in understanding while the girl only becomes more and more confused.

Ahiru starts to think he cannot talk, when suddenly he speaks up, his voice an uncertain and unfamiliar sound.

“You don’t…?” He trails off. Ahiru’s head tilts, confusion twisting her face. He shakes his head, sighing. He rises from the forest floor and dusts pollen off his shoulder with a gloved hand. He was going to say something, she was sure, but he must have thought better of it. He trains Ahiru with a determined stare.

“I’m escorting you back to the castle,” he says, motioning towards her, “Ahiru.”

Ahiru scrambles to her feet at the sound of her name. The familiarity of the word is grounding, although she still doesn’t trust him. He turns on his heel and swiftly begins making his way through the flowers. Ahiru, with little other option, follows.

“Why should I follow you?” she accuses, keeping a good distance behind him.

He throws a glance over his shoulder before stopping. He lifts his cloak, flashing the hilt of his blade. Ahiru’s eyes train on the royal insignia—a swan engraved in the hilt, and the royal guard style patterns on the sheath. “My name is Fakir. I was assigned by Mytho as Rue’s appointed knight.”

“Rue’s?” Ahiru’s eyes widen, “But, I don’t recognize you…” She frowns, eyes drifting down to her hands as she wrings them in the white fabric of her skirt. Come to think of it, she doesn’t know how she got into this little white lace number either. She definitely wouldn't just be wearing something like it for any old stroll in the woods. Fakir watches her for a moment, his seemingly permanent scowl shrouded in thought. She jumps as he twists back to the trail ahead, and hurries after him as he pushes out of the clearing and into the woodland proper.

There are less flowers here, although the fact that they were growing wild at all comes as a surprise to Ahiru. For some reason she can’t remember why that is.

“How did I get here?” she asks, bare feet tripping over the underbrush. Fakir is not so far ahead of her now, and reaches out to steady her so she doesn’t fall. He glances down at her, surprised, and asks, “You really don’t remember how?”

Ahiru bites the inside of her lip and shakes her head. “N—no. I really don’t.”

Fakir releases her, looking thoughtful. “Well, it’s a long story.” he says, and they continue on. He doesn’t explain any further than that.

The rest of their walk is silent. Ahiru wracks her brain trying to find the last thing she remembers while Fakir muses about who knows what. As she glances down to a lily growing alongside the woodland trail, something prods at the back of Ahiru’s mind. A flower shop that sells fragrances and honey, and the shopkeeper herself... The details are hard to recall. She eventually stops trying. Her feet are beginning to grow sore. She stares off into the woods, Fakir a constant silhouette ahead of her.

She watches her companion, taking in his dark complexion, lightly armored attire and long hair. It's tied back and it swings as he walks. She truly has no idea where this man came from, but he's Rue's very own knight, right? Otherwise he wouldn't have the sword. But she was Rue's very own lady in waiting, and she had never met him before. At least, she doesn't think she has. Her mind is... foggy, but he is definitely someone she does not recognize.

Ahiru sighs and looks away into the forest. She wonders how long this trip will take, thinking of her poor bare feet. As she stares out into the green depths of the forest, her mind starts to wander.


	2. Chapter I: The Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Ahiru? Is _that_ her name?”

Ahiru is running terribly late and Raetsel is going to kill her. She overslept, did not have time to bathe, came to the kitchens with her blouse buttoned the wrong way, knocked a bottle of wine out of the hands of some poor sap on the way there, and on top of that was stepped on by a donkey in the marketplace. So far, this was not the best day for her.

She scurries through the entryway of the palace and tries to ignore how much her toes hurt and how badly she wants to cry.

Knights and ladies and servants make up the bustle of today’s morning crowd—all obstacles that must be avoided with the utmost caution. Her basket is heaped with jar upon jar of Freya’s honey. The Seller’s Seal radiates energy, and although it is meant to protect patrons from robbery while they travel, it only serves to tickle at Ahiru’s face and nose. And a sneeze in this situation would be a disaster she cannot afford.

Luckily, it is only a short walk to the kitchens. She dodges cooks and maids on her way to Raetsel’s station, cheering at her success. She arrives just in time as Raetsel has only just begun mixing the batter. Soon she will need the prime ingredient for the honey cakes. ...The honey! Raetsel looks up from her work and waves. Ahiru beams in response.

Meanwhile, unaware to her, the esteemed guest of the night’s festivities is present in that very doorway. She is receiving a tour through the castle grounds by the kingdom’s highest-ranking diplomat. Her violet skirts and groomed hair should be suffocating in the heat of the kitchens, but she doesn‘t show it. She’s a true noblewoman—she doesn’t show any discomfort regarding her clothing. She’s been taught well.

“Here, as you can see, are the kitchens, Lady Rue. I hope you will excuse the mess, our chefs are working hard to create their most delicious creations for tonight’s event!” The diplomat talks with his hands, almost too much so. Rue does not.

“Yes, thank you, Mr. Cat,” she responds, flicking open her fan and buffeting her face with air. “I’m quite excited for this, actually, but I’m unsure if it’s truly worth my time.”

Mr. Cat blanches, and his jaw hangs loose for a moment at the woman’s nonchalance before he picks it up off the floor. “M—madam, I assure you this is worth your time— _Prince Mytho_ is well worth your time! Perhaps after a guide through the city, and a peek in the kingdom’s treasury as well, you will recognize Gold Crown’s beauty…” He holds his hands in front of him, placating, as if trying to calm a rearing mare.

“Hmm… perhaps.” She covers her smirk with her fan, intending to maintain the joke for as long as possible. She has no intention of leaving Mytho for some other noblewoman to snatch up. Rue simply enjoys toying with the man’s desperation, and besides, she has had a very bad day, and she wants to let it out on someone. “Anyway,” she says, pointing her closed fan towards a servant girl balancing a stack of jars. She had noticed that the girl was about to scurry straight into a puddle of spilled wine, and drawls, “What is _that_?”

Mr. Cat gasps as the girl slips, falling straight onto her rump. She tries to catch the jars, shrieking, but many of them topple and shatter on the stone floors. Tears well in the girl’s eyes as an older female cook rushes to her and takes the basket, setting it safely on a table nearby before crouching to help the younger girl up. Her lip wobbles and she’s clearly holding back cries of frustration. She stands and glances back at her rear, the red wine having stained the entirety of the seat of her skirt as well as much of the front. Her entire face goes red, while Mr. Cat’s is void of all color.

“A…hi… _ru!”_ he hisses, lunging in her direction. She spooks and tries to grab onto the other woman for support, who winces and grabs her by the shoulders to keep her distance and avoid staining her uniform as well. The girl is sputtering apologies as Mr. Cat’s hands twitch in front of him, as though he is holding himself back from striking her.

“Ahiru? Is _that_ her name?” the lady murmurs thoughtfully. Rue simply surveys the mess, unperturbed, until she hears the clunk of an armored guard approaching them.

“Lady Rue!” a voice calls. The servant girl and Mr. Cat fall silent, looking towards the newcomers. Rue throws them a glance over her shoulder. It’s two knights, both of her own house who accompanied her on the journey to Mytho’s kingdom. Rue’s gaze then settles on the woman restrained in between the two. Her eyes narrow as she fans her face.

“We’ve discovered—” The knight’s mouth clamps shut suddenly as he guiltily looks around the room at all of the listening ears. This was not exactly the business of any chef. Rue’s slitted eyes hover over the captured woman for a moment before she turns her gaze to the knight, motioning for him to continue.

The knight nervously glances at his partner on the other side of the prisoner, before taking a quick breath and continuing. “We've discovered the thief, my Lady. She was… she had your necklace in her room, hidden in the fireplace.”

Rue fans herself, her voice neutral, but her gaze sharp. “Well. My own lady in waiting. Isn’t that ironic?”

The woman doesn’t meet Rue’s eye. Instead, she looks through her, teeth gritted and eyes unfocused. She doesn’t look too happy to be there, but she is limp and loose in the hold of the guards. She’s given up.

Rue gives her a moment to answer.

She doesn’t.

All of the chefs have stopped working at this point, the soft crackle of lit ovens the only sound in the kitchen.

“What else did you take, Dina?”

No reply.

Rue snaps her fan shut, startling all of them.

“You really must embarrass me, in front of my soon-to-be subjects? These people welcomed us here with open arms, Dina. Much like how I welcomed _you_ into my own home.” The guilty woman’s eye twitches as she fights off a grimace. “I _trusted_ you, and you betrayed me.”

Rue flips open her fan again, airing herself with sudden disinterest. “Well, this ruins my mood even more. I don’t know if I really want to remain here, after all. Too many bad memories now.”

Mr. Cat creeps forward after a beat of silence, raising a finger. “Madam, we have a—”

“Silence!” Rue snaps, twisting toward him. He shrinks immediately, bowing his head. “I do not care for your method of justice. I am not yet held to the laws of this kingdom. I know how I will punish her.” She turns to the ex-lady in waiting, her chin raised, glaring down at her. “Dina, you will no longer be close to me. You will, however, remain in this castle, incredibly demoted, and, frankly under arrest. Additionally, I will have you prepare your replacement... But you're lucky I don't simply leave you in chains.” Rue’s glare softens a tiny amount as she thinks. She then turns and motions with her fan.

Everyone looks to where she is pointing.

“Her.”

She’s pointing straight at the girl covered in wine. She’s claimed Ahiru.

“M—Madam,” Mr. Cat begins, concerned and sweating, “You mustn’t want the maid! There are many women in the castle of noble upbringing who—”

“I want _her_ or I will not be staying for the rest of your tour, Mr. Cat, nor for the rest of my life thereafter.” Mr. Cat shuts his mouth. Rue’s face shifts to something more neutral as she looks at him. “There is no other option.”

Ahiru is gaping, still processing what was just said.

Quietly, Dina speaks, shaking, “Why?”

Rue surveys her disdainfully, and glances back to the servant girl. “Because she’s cute,” she says, thoughtfully. _And because I can,_ is left unsaid.

Ahiru’s starting to catch up, and red begins to pool in her cheeks.

Rue simply chuckles at the blush, gesturing towards it as proof. “See? How charming!”


	3. Chapter II: The Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"Hey!_ What do you mean a _year?_ How could I have been asleep out here for an entire _year!?”_

Not long before dark, the pair make camp. This means that Fakir clears brush away and cobbles together a fire while Ahiru awkwardly sits by herself and watches.

Afterwards, Fakir huffs and sits as well. Ahiru is still looking at him. He hastily runs a hand through his hair and looks off into the distance. He sighs and fiddles with his clothes. Then he takes his sword and lays it across his lap as Ahiru is watching expectantly. 

Her gaze sharpens more and more the longer he continues fussing. 

“Quit looking at me like that,” he finally snaps, face flushed. 

“Can you blame me?” Ahiru counters.

“No.” 

More silence.

“Well?” Ahiru prompts him. 

“Well, what?”

“Are you going to explain to me how I got here?” 

Fakir frowns, bites his lip. She starts to think he’s just going to keep avoiding her questions. 

Then, “How much do you remember?”

 Ahiru sighs and draws her knees to her chest. She stares down into the dirt. “I don’t know.”

“I gather you forgot some things,” Fakir says. He pauses. “You forgot me.”

Ahiru winces from a pang of guilt. He says it as mildly as everything else, but she can’t help thinking he must be hurt by her failure to recognize him.

“I… I remember who I am, and what I do.” Ahiru starts, meeting his gaze. “I remember my job. I remember Rue. I know who she is, but I don’t remember certain things about her.”

Fakir leans towards her, interested. “What things?”

“Like, just… things that happened!” Ahiru splays her hands, struggling for words. “Events. I remember who people are and our relationships but not how they came to be.” She frowns. “And apparently, there’s even people I don’t remember at all.” Fakir looks away.

“So who are you?” she asks, “How do we know each other?”

 Fakir picks at his hands.

“We work together.”

“You’re saying I’m a knight?”

“No, you idiot,” he says incredulously. “We both work for Rue. You just said you knew that.”

“Oh.” Ahiru pauses. “Hey, do you have any food?”

...

After a while of gnawing on the Fakir-provided rations, Fakir tells Ahiru to go to sleep. She tells him no. 

“We’ve got a lot of walking to do tomorrow, you’ve got to be awake for it.”

“What about you, huh?” she says. “Don’t you need to sleep?” 

“I am going to sleep,” he says, and begins to make himself comfortable against a tree trunk.

Ahiru blinks. “Wait, you’re not keeping watch?” Fakir shakes his head. “But what if we’re attacked!” 

Fakir looks smug as he shrugs off his cloak. “So you _don’t_ want me to sleep now. Okay.” 

“That’s not what I mean!” she exclaims. “I was going to say we could take turns. There could be bandits out here.” Fakir tosses the cloak at her, and it lands on her head. She yanks it down. “Lions!”

Fakir smirks. “There aren’t lions in these woods, and neither bandits, you fool.”

She raises an eyebrow, challenging, “How do you know there aren’t bandits here?” 

“They think Princess Tutu will find them and stab them through the heart,” he says. He seems to find this funny, although she doesn’t quite get why.

“Oh, please!” Ahiru scoffs. “That’s ridiculous. If there were a ghost here she would have gotten to us by now. And what kind of name is that?” Ahiru says. “For a spirit, she sounds unintimidating.”

“That’s because we aren’t criminals. Princess Tutu only smites the wicked.”

“Okay, fine,” Ahiru allows, although she doesn’t like feeling as though there’s some joke she’s not a part of. “But I’m sure some form of predators live here.” 

“I’m a light sleeper, and the fire will most likely scare away any wolves.” 

“This is negligence on your part! How am I supposed to fall asleep when I feel so unsafe?” 

“You didn’t have any problem sleeping here for the past year.” 

Ahiru’s stomach drops, and from his expression, she sees Fakir’s confidence falter. 

_The past year._

_Year?_

“It’s been a year?” 

Fakir looks away. Why is he so damned avoidant and vague! This is important!

“Hey,” she says, her fists shaking when he doesn’t meet her gaze. _“Hey!_ What do you mean a _year?_   How could I have been asleep out here for an entire _year!?”_

“Stop panicking,” he groused.

“Quit acting like this is a hassle for you!” She smacks her hands into the ground. She may be acting childish, but she feels it is in her right. “Do you even care? Try and understand how lost I’m feeling, here!” 

Fakir’s mouth twitches into a grimace. He stares her down until she is silent, and breathes deeply, as though it’s hard for him to speak to someone with more emotions than he is able to express himself. It seems to Ahiru like every time he communicates he encounters this problem. 

“It’s a curse.”

She’s left speechless for a second. 

“It’s… a what?” 

“A curse.”

“I’m… cursed?” She looks down at herself, laying a hand over her heart. She feels it beating and wonders what could be wrong. 

“You idiot,” he scoffs. Before she can fire back, he says, “I suppose now it’s lifted. At least in theory. I’m not completely sure on how it works, so some effects might still remain.”

She frowns. “How? Did _you_ lift it?” 

“Well, I came here to wake you up, yes.” 

“Why _you_? Why not anybody else?”

“Uh… it’s kind of hard to get here…”

“How did you manage it, to wake me up?” 

Fakir shifts uncomfortably, and although his face is hidden in the semi-darkness, Ahiru thinks she sees him blushing. “I just… came and woke you up, just like anyone does when someone is sleeping.” 

She relaxes, but she can’t just drop the topic when there are so many holes in his story. “What makes it so hard to get here? You said there were no dangers.” 

“It’s…” He looks at her now. “This place is like a mirage. The entrance is easy to find, but the woods are always different. It’s extremely hard to traverse it. If you enter the woods at the wrong time, you get lost, although it can dump you back out from where you came, if you’re lucky. And, also…” He shifts his gaze away from her face, although his voice retains his pity. “I spent a while deciding whether to try and find you and wake you up.”

Ahiru tilts her head, confused. 

Fakir licks his lips. “Nobody wanted me to go through with it.” 

It takes a moment for his words to sink in. And when it does, her heart feels as though it’s being drilled open inside her chest.

“Nobody wanted to save me. That’s why I’ve been asleep for so long.”

Fakir frowns, but he doesn’t dispute her words. That’s what breaks her. 

“What—what did I do? What don’t I remember doing that made everyone abandon me like that?”

“Idiot, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Fakir quickly corrects her. 

Despite the insult, his voice is the gentlest it’s been since she’d met him.

“They were against it because they didn’t think it was possible. They thought you were as good as dead, that I was delusional for thinking you were actually out here, and that anyone could even wake you.”

He moves towards her and takes the cloak from her hands, wrapping it around her securely, lifting the hood over her head.

 “You didn’t do anything bad,” he reiterates, “No one faults you for anything. At all. People were afraid of... risks. But I think we avoided them.” He lifts a hand towards a stray hair in her face, then stops. He flicks a twig off of her shoulder instead.  

“Listen,” he says, “You need to rest.” He moves back to the fire. “I’ll tell you more in the morning, I promise.”

Ahiru’s brain is delayed, but her body is not. She lays down and watches Fakir stoke the flames for a moment before closing her eyes. She presses the fabric of the hood against her face and is comforted by the reminder of civilization, of a life and memories left just out of reach as sleep takes her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i need to stop making promises about update times because its just always going to be late LOL :(


End file.
